Safety container for valuables



Dec. 27, 1938. w. H. DAVIDSON 2,141,293

SAFETY CONTAINER FOR VALUABLES Filed May 4, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l 24 a 9 ljflvenro'r Dec. 27, 1938. w, H DAVIDSON 2,141,293

SAFETY CONTAINER FOR VALUABLES Filed May 4, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 hm, w-l-Lbzru-iason mu. i2 4;

Patented Dec. 27, 1938 PATENT OFFICE SAFETY CONTAIN ER. FOR VALUABLES William H. Davidson, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Application May 4, 1936, Serial No. 77,712

5 Claims.

This invention relates to containers for the transportation of valuables and more particularly to the club bags used by bank messengers for the carrying of cash and securities and my object is to devise a bag of this type which, if forcibly taken from the messenger by any unauthorized person, immediately becomes practically impossible to handle with the hands, which will give immediate warning by radio transmission that it has been seized, which will give directly audible signals to the same effect and which will also give visible indication definitely identifying it as a bag that is no longer under the control of its proper owner.

I attain my objects by means which may be briefly described as follows.

The bag is of any suitable type which may be opened or closed and locked. The bag contains means for generating a high frequency current of electricity. Positioned in the walls and handles of the bag are spaced conductors arranged adjacent to one another and connected alternately to opposite sides of the high frequency coil so that it is practically impossible for a person to grasp the bag without bridging the gap between a pair of conductors and thus receiving a severe shock if the primary circuit of the high frequency apparatus is closed. The primary circult of the high frequency apparatus includes a switch normally spring pressed towards the closed position. A pin is provided which may be inserted in the switch to hold it in the open position, which pin may be connected by a chain to the owner. If the bag is snatched from the owner the chain tightens and pulls out the pin thus allowing the switch to close and the electric system to become energized. The pin or chain might be simply held by the owner and pulled if and as the bag is snatched and a measure of usefulness thus attained. If the high frequency system is alternately energized and de-energized hertzian waves are generated and radio signals are thus sent out.

To effect the sending out of such signals I arrange the switch so that it makes and breaks the primary circuit of the electrical system a number of times before finally closing the circuit. Definite groups of signals may thus be readily provided to identify any particular bag.

The energizing of the electric system will fire a squib or detonator which in turn will ignite one or more fuses which lead respectively to one or more explosive bombs and a smoke bomb. The fuses are regulated in length to give one or more explosions at intervals of time followed by the ignition of the smoke bomb. The latter will not only eject a dense smoke for a considerable period of time, but preferably will also generate gases having a choking efiect if breathed in a confined space such as the interior of a motor car.

The outside skin of the bag over the conductors will usually be of a fairly heavy oil tanned leather. The passage of the high tension current therethrough is therefore facilitated by punching small tits in the thin sheet copper of which the conductors are formed, which are forced substantially to the outside through the said skin.

The invention is hereinafter more fully described and is illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view of a bag and its equipment;

Fig. 2 a longitudinal section of the bottom of the bag on the line 2--2 in Fig. 3;

Fig. 3 a plan view of the bottom part of the bag;

Fig. 4 a longitudinal section of the control switch in open position;

Fig. 5 a similar view of the switch in closed position;

Fig. 6 a longitudinal section on the line 66 in Fig. 4;

Fig. '7 a vertical sectional detail of part of the wall of the bag; and

Fig. 8 a sectional detail of part of a copper conductor and its covering as used in the skin of the bag.

In the drawings like numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the different figures.

I is a bag which may be of any convenient size and shape capable of being opened and closed and provided with handles such as 39. This bag is formed with a hollow bottom preferably of wood. The side walls 3 may be of ordinary construction except as hereinafter described, but are preferably built up as shown in Fig. 7. The outer covering will usually be of leather, the third ply inward will also usually be of leather, the two leather plies having copper conductors between them as hereinafter referred. The fourth ply inward will usually be of cardboard, the fifth of fibre and the sixth of some suitable lining ma- 5 terial. These plies will be secured to the wooden bottom in any suitable manner known to the art.

Beneath the skin of the bag at its bottom is provided a metal strip 4, preferably extending completely around the bag, while around each half of the mouth of the bag extends the upper metal strip 5. Metal conductors 4 extend up from the metal strip 4 towards the top of the bag, while the metal strips or conductors 5 extend downwardly from the upper metal strip 5, as

shown. I shoW these metal strips at one side of the bag only but it will be understood that they are duplicated on the other side.

Conductors 6 are placed in the handle just beneath the skin and are connected to the conductors 4 while the conductors I in the handle are connected to the conductors 5 The adjacent ends of these conductors at the middle parts of each half of the handle are separated by a suitable gap. It is evident that if the metal strips 4 and 5 are included in a high tension electrical circuit and if the space in conductors 4 and 5 be bridged as by the human hand an intense shock will be felt suflicient to induce such a person to drop the bag. The same is true if the handles are grasped.

To enable a high tension circuit to be more easily bridged in the manner described, I prefer to arrange the conductors and the outer skin in the manner shown in Fig. 8 of the drawings. After the thin leather outer ply has been positioned over the thin metal strips a large num ber of small tits are stamped in the sheet metal which tits are pressed almost if not quite through the outer skin, thus greatly facilitating the passage of the high tension current.

The following apparatus is used for the production of the high tension electrical current. A dry battery l0 and an induction coil II are contained in the hollow bottom of the bag. The primary circuit l2, 13 of the battery is connected with the induction coil in the ordinary manner. The high tension leads 8 and 9 from the coil are electrically connected to the two systems of conductors in any suitable manner. A spark gap l4 and a variable inductance l5 are interposed between the leads 8 and 9. The electrical system is thus rendered capable of radiating hertzian waves when the primary circuit is alternately opened and closed.

The primary circuit is opened and closed by the switch mechanism shown in the upper right hand corner of Fig. l of the drawings and in Figs. 4, 5 and 6. The body of the switch will, of course, be formed of a non-conductive material as indicated at IS. The casing is bored out to form a longitudinal hole into which is threaded at one end the contact screw l'l connected with the conductor I3 of the primary circuit. In the casing the contact slide I8 is longitudinally movable. This is normally pressed towards the contact screw ll by the coil spring 20 which bears against the abutment screw 2|. Through a hole in the casing a holding pin is may be inserted to hold back the contact slide [8 as shown in Fig. i. This holding pin normally extends through a hole w in the movable contact maker 25. This movable contact maker is carried by the supports 26 in one of which it is threaded so that a rotary movement of the member 25 produces also a longitudinal movement. A coil spring 2'! suitably secured to the contact maker 25 and one of the supports 26 tends to rotate the said movable contact maker. One end of the movable contact maker is provided with a plurality of make-and-break fingers 28 which are positioned in proximity to the spring supported movable contact 24 which co-operates with the spring supported fixed contact 23, thus a rotary movement of the movable contact maker will alternately make-and-break the contact between the movable contact 24 and the fixed contact 23. Secured to the movable contact maker is a circuit closing finger 29, which is so positioned and shaped that it will, as shown in Fig. 5, ultimately contact with the movable contact 23 and hold it permanently in engagement with the fixed contact finger until such time as the movable contact maker 25 is restored to its normal position as shown in Fig. 4. The fixed contact finger 23 is connected by the wire 22 to the spring contact finger 40, which, as shown in Fig. 6, is engaged by the contact slide [8 when the holding pin l9 has been withdrawn and the coil spring 20 has forced the contact slide [8 into engagement with the contact screw IT. The contact just described is made, of course, as soon as the holding pin [9 has been withdrawn. Thereafter the circuit is alternately opened and closed several times by the make-and-break fingers 28 to give a predetermined signal, the circuit being ultimately closed and held closed by the circuit closing finger 29, as shown in Fig. 5.

From the arrangement described it follows that as soon as the holding pin is withdrawn the high tension conductors of the bag are energized as soon as the primary circuit is held permanently closed by the circuit closing finger 29. It also appears that prior to this closing the circuit has been alternately opened and closed so that the high tension system throws out radio signals corresponding to the relative spacing of the makeand-break fingers 28 on the movable contact maker 25.

To produce the directly audible sound signals I employ the following mechanism: In the hollow bottom of the bag is supported the bomb case 30, the ends of which are clamped in any suitable manner in openings in the bag I. In this bomb case are positioned one or more noise producing bombs 3i, and preferably also with a smoke bomb 32. Fuses 33 lead to the noise bombs 3| and the fuse 34 to the smoke bomb 32. These fuses have their ends positioned adjacent one or more squibs or detonators 35. Two are preferably employed connected in parallel by means of the conductors 35 and 37 with the primary circuit l2, 13. While one squib might be employed I prefer to employ two in case of the failure of one.

It will be noted that the fuses of the two bombs 3| are of different lengths or are otherwise arranged so that one bomb explodes before the other. The smoke bomb is timed to follow the noise bomb.

From the construction described it will be seen that if the bag is snatched from a messenger the holding pin I9 is withdrawn from the switch and the latter makes and breaks the primary circuit of the electrical apparatus a number of times to give a definite signal, thereafter holding the primary circuit closed so that the conductors of the bag become alive and capable of inflicting a severe shock on any one attempting to handle the bag. Immediately following the establishment of this condition one or more noise bombs audible for considerable distances are detonated followed by the generation of a vast quantity of smoke of a more or less poisonous nature which not only enables the bag to be traced but particularly if it is handled in closed quarters makes it difficult for the bag to be handled.

The bag may be traced by the police department since each bag, when used by a bank messenger, is carried on a predetermined route charted by the department, so that on receipt of the signal sent out by any bag a police cruiser can be sent to follow the route of that bag till the scene of the attempted robbery is located.

For use as a jewel case in the home it is preferable to substitute some other noise producing devices for the bombs and to omit the smoke bomb.

From the above description it will be seen that I have devised a construction of container for the transportation of valuables which will attain the objects of my invention as set out in the preamble to this specification.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A container in combination with apparatus contained within the container for generating a high tension current; spaced conductors adjacent external surfaces of the container connected alternately to opposite sides of the high tension apparatus whereby when the space between two adjacent conductors be bridged, as by the human hand a shock-giving current will pass; and movable control means normally inhibiting the operation of the high tension apparatus including a part extending outside the receptacle whereby the control means may be actuated.

2. A container in combination with apparatus contained Within the container for generating a high frequency electric current; spaced conductors adjacent surfaces of the container connected alternately to opposite sides of the high frequency apparatus which includes a primary circuit; a switch in said primary circuit normally tending to close the circuit; and movable means normally inhibiting the switch from closing the circuit, said means including a part extending outside the container whereby said means may be actuated to release the switch for closure.

3. A container in accordance with claim 2 in which the switch includes a movable member adapted to intermittently close and open the circuit before finally closing it.

4. A container in combination with means within the container for generating a high frequency electric current including a spark gap, conductors forming an antenna, and a primary circuit; means tending to move to alternately make and break the primary circuit; and movable control means normally inhibiting the operation of the make-andbreak means, said means including a part extending outside of the container whereby it may be moved to free said make-and-break means.

5. A container in combination with apparatus associated with the container for generating a high tension electric current; spaced conductors adjacent surfaces of the container connected alternately to opposite sides of the high tension apparatus; a thin skin of a dielectric material over said conductors, said conductors being formed of thin metal having small tits punched therein extending at least part way through the dielectric material, and movable control means normally inhibiting the operation of the high tension apparatus including a part extending out side the receptacle whereby the control means may be actuated.

WILLIAM H. DAVIDSON. 

